


how easy it could be

by eboltz



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Emotional Infidelity, M/M, Past Infidelity, mostly happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:21:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eboltz/pseuds/eboltz
Summary: Mitch goes to meet Connor for a beer one day.orMitch and Connor used to be... something.
Relationships: Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner/Connor McDavid
Kudos: 22





	how easy it could be

**Author's Note:**

> Set in some nebulous off-season that's pretty hand-wavey if I'm honest.
> 
> This story wrote itself, Mitch just wanted to be in it. 
> 
> Comments and feedback are love :)

Mitch goes to meet Connor for a beer one day. 

It’s been ages since he’s seen him, and he feels bad about that - he’s always had a hard time remembering to stay connected to people he doesn’t orbit around on a daily or regular basis. 

And sometimes, after a very long time, it seems weird to just reach out, out of the blue.

But he does, and Connor says sure, and so he meets him for beer one day while Auston is out of town.

He’s not meeting him  _ because _ Auston is out of town, he’d like to make that clear. It just worked out that way.

He’s adamant about that.

-

It’s been so long, and Connor’s gotten broader and grown a beard and he knows he’s pretty close to trouble the minute he sees Connor smiling up at him from the table he’s picked out off to the side.

He looks so good, and he’s missed him and his stories and his easy laugh. 

It’s been so long and he knows as he orders a beer that he needs to be careful not to look too invested or too interested or too anything. That’s never ended well for them before.

But he looks so good, and as they try to catch up on the last few months, he finds out something more dangerous to him than anything.

He’s single.

-

Connor’d been dating her for almost as long as he can remember. 

Ok, not quite that long - he does distinctly remember the time when they were maybe 15 or 16 when he had told his friends that he was dating Mitch. This was news to him as he sat around a dinner table with his friends while he went to do something and they all turned to him with expectant faces. 

He wasn’t happy about that, and maybe spent too much of the remaining evening flirting with one of Connor’s friends as a form of payback. 

But by the time he moved to the same city, same team, and was hanging out with Connor regularly, he was dating her. 

Not that it stopped him wanting. 

Or Connor wanting him.

He’s not proud of it, but there were a few nights, shut away in the basement of Connor’s childhood home, where they got a little too caught up in each other and went way past the point of being friends.

He can still feel the carpet against his back as Connor pushed into him and feel his lips caught tight between his teeth as he tried not to make a sound as he came over and over again in the glow of the movie they had put on to “watch”.

But that was a long time ago.

-

He’s having a beer and maybe one more, and he’s having more fun than he’s had in ages and he knows that he’s walking a tightrope right now but he doesn’t care and he’s just so happy to be here, in this bar, and with him.

He’s missed how easy it could be. 

He hears himself invite Connor over. 

Hears him say he needs to run an errand, but he could come over after, and they could watch silly videos and a movie and have some beer and it would be good and just like old times. 

He sees Connor’s eyes light up and his easy smile and he just stops thinking.

He asks him to come.

-

It's only when he’s walked through the door of his condo that he shares with his partner of 5 years that he starts to realize what he’s asking for.

He knows that it would be so easy, too easy to just let him come into this space.

It would be easy, too easy to just sit next to him on the couch that he’s bought with his boyfriend and just let himself go.

It would be easy, too easy, to let the beer be his excuse for reaching up and feeling that beard with his hands.

It would be easy to let go.

He can’t let go.

-

So he texts Connor and tells him he isn’t feeling great - can they have a raincheck?

He knows he won’t reschedule.

-

He wants to reschedule.

-

Auston comes home the next day, comes over and places a warm, familiar kiss on Mitch’s lips. 

“I’ve missed you.”

Mitch smiles up at him.

“I’m right here.”

Auston laughs, happy and free, and goes to unpack his bag.

Mitch turns back to the game he’d been playing.

-

He goes to meet Connor for a beer one day.

But he’s got plenty of beer at home, where he knows he’s loved. He wouldn’t trade this for the world. 

He’s adamant about that. 


End file.
